The Greatest Battle of This Era
by acercrea
Summary: The final battle against Voldemort has arrived. Is everyone ready for it? Who will survive? Will be RHr. Post-Hogwarts. Will be R-rated next time.
1. Default Chapter

**The Greatest Battle of this Era**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All I own is this laptop, my soul and a head full of useless, disconnected pop culture trivia.

Hermione was pacing around her room at DA Headquarters. She kept checking her watch and chewing on her finger nails. _This is stupid,_ she thought. _We are all going to get killed. What are we thinking, storming into Voldemorts strong hold, and trying to kill him? The element of surprise my eye._

As she was pacing, Ron slipped into the room, unnoticed. When he spoke, she jumped. "You know, when I was three, Fred and George told me that if I paced in the same spot enough, I would get bigger? I paced in the same spot for so long, I wore a hole in the rug. Yeah, that's what the hole in the den rug between the couch and the table is from. Mum got so mad at me. You see I did it in a spot that couldn't be covered easily. Where it is now is the best we could ever get it. But I guess it worked. I mean I'm between thirteen and fourteen centimeters taller than the twins. I mean I'm taller than they-" his voice broke and he stopped talking, tears in his eyes, the pain of losing one of the twins still fresh.

"Ron. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you of Fred. I miss him too. And Angelina. They were important to us all. But the most important thing is that we don't let them die for nothing. We will get the people who did this to them. I promise," she swore.

"Yeah. They were the heart and soul of the team. Well, two thirds of it. Angelina was the 'mom,' and Fred and George were the comic relief. They were on their honeymoon, for crying out loud. We told them it would be ok. And they were killed," he sobbed.

"Oh, good news, though?" she asked, trying to bolster his spirits. "George finally spoke today. We were walking into the meeting room this morning and he said, 'tonight's the night.' I was so shocked, I forgot to ask what today was," she finished lamely.

"I know what that means. That was the last thing Fred said to him. He was getting into the car, and he turned to George and said, 'tonight's the night, brother, tonight's the night,' and then he got in the car and they drove off," Ron choked. He took a shuddering breath and tried to change the subject, by asking her, "So, what were you thinking about? If I'm not mistaken, that was the thinking pace."

"I have different paces?" she asked flabbergasted.

"Yeah, you have this caged animal, tense situation pace, like when we were waiting for news on Luna and Parvati after they were tortured. You have an excited, kid in a candy store, waiting for a surprise pace. Then you also have a talking on the phone pace, the daydreaming pace, and in fact you have two thinking paces. You have the trying to figure out a tough problem, deducing pace, and you have the lots on your mind, trying to figure it all out pace. And if I'm not mistaken, when I came in it was the latter thinking pace. So spill it, 'Mione," Ron ordered.

"You and Harry know me way too well," she sighed.

"Quit stalling," he chided.

"I was thinking that we were going to get killed," she admitted softly.

"Look at me, Hermione," he ordered. "You are not going to die today. Not today, not tomorrow, not for a long time. I promise you that."

She was searching his eyes and found an odd comfort within them. They were suddenly leaning toward each other. Just as their lips brushed, the door to her room opened and they sprang apart. "It is time to go, Hermione. Have you seen- oh, there you are, Ron. It is time to go," Ginny repeated.

"Right. Of course," he mumbled, a slightly bitter tone in his voice. "Well, we will talk after we come back," he finished, the tone gone, and then walked away before she could protest. She followed mutely, making sure her wand was actually in the pocket of her robes she remembered.

"Right, now that we are all here," Harry said as Ron, Hermione, and Ginny entered the room. "We all know the plan right? Group one will enter from the main building from the north window and into the main room. Group two will enter the strong hold through the underground tunnel in the south side of the building. Then we attack from there as soon as we get in. You all know the drill. This is the one we have been training for. They won't hesitate to use the unforgivable curses, so show them the same courtesy. I'm not going to lie to you, not all of us are going to make it out of there alive. But if we all stick together help each other out, we can beat them. I know we can. Neville, you are in charge of the second group. We will all-" Harry was cut off by Neville.

"Me?" Neville squeaked.

"Yes you, Neville. I am aware of what Snape said to you yesterday, but that was Snape and that was yesterday. I believe you can do this, Neville. I trust you," Harry finished. It was true. Neville was no longer the scared, bumbling, forgetful boy that Harry met first year. He had proven himself more than once during the war. "Now, if we are through with that discussion, we will all Apparate into the square around the corner and make sure we are all there before we continue. The Order should be there when we get there. They will handle the east and west points of entry. There is only one rule. No one gets left behind, dead or alive. We won't be able to Apparate into the building, but you should be able to Apparate out. If not, you all know the Portkey spell. Don't be afraid to use it, just make sure you don't have any hitchhikers. Don't go in there afraid. Just know that we will win. Don't doubt that and it will be true. We can do this. I know we can. We will win today. And the war will be over. It ends today," Harry finished. He gave his words a minute to sink in and then he pressed on, "We Apparate in groups. Neville, you and three others first."

They all Apparated like this until only Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were left. "Just come back alive. All of you," Harry stated simply and gave a nod to signal it was time to Apparate.

When they got to the square, they were met by both the members of the DA and the Order. Tonks was the only person who seemed like talking.

"Wotcher Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny," she greeted grimly, not at all Tonks-like. She even looked unlike herself. Her hair was long, jet-black, and stick-straight, held out of her face by a black ribbon. Looking around the square Harry saw a sea of black. Only a handful of the robes he saw were in color. McGonagall was in her signature dark green; Ginny was in navy blue; Hermione was in maroon; Amos Diggory was in blood red robes, probably symbolic of the fact that Cedric was the first of Voldemort's non-muggle murders in this war; Dumbledore was in the most extravagant of all: He was in robes that were powder blue on one side, midnight blue on the other. The powder blue side was bewitched to look like the sky in the daytime, complete with a sun and clouds that actually moved. The other side was night, with stars and comets. The sides were even switching to mirror the actual sky.

"May I have your attention, please," Dumbledore spoke. When all heads were turned toward him, he continued. "I hope I am correct in my assumption that we are all aware of what we are here to do. Since it is unnecessary to explain, I would ask for a word with the group leaders," he finished, beckoning the others over. "Are all the members of your groups here?"

"Mine is," Harry replied.

"Likewise," Tonks replied glumly.

"All present, sir," McGonagall stated in her usual manner.

"Yes, Professor," Neville mumbled.

"Wait, aren't you one of the group leaders?" Harry asked.

"Unfortunately, I am not. One might say I am my own group. I have a special mission," Dumbledore replied. "This will be the greatest battle of this era. Only one side will prevail. Let us make it ours. I would just like you all to know, whatever happens I am very proud of all of you, and I am happy to have known you all."

Before his words had a chance to sink in, he was ordering the split of the groups. Harry led his group around to the appropriate side of the stronghold. "All right, this is it. It all ends here. We are going to end the war right now, here. Let it all hang out. Every thing you have, short of your lives should be left there. We will all come back to headquarters alive and victorious. Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Dennis, Luna, Lavender, Dean, Terry, Katie, Susan, George, Padma. Let's do this for those who are unable to fight beside us. For Fred, Angelina, Cedric, Justin, Seamus, Parvati, Sirius, Colin, Remus, my parents, who died so I could fulfill my destiny, all the others who have been killed. This is for them. No matter what happens, just know that I am very proud of all of you. Just watch out for each other. We have a camaraderie that the death eaters will never have because we actually care about each other. They care only about themselves. And that is why we will win. Because we are united. We are stronger together than they will ever be, this I am sure of. We are all fighting for something, someone we lost. Someonethey killed. Don't let them have died in vain. Let us prevail," Harry paraphrased Dumbledore, climbing the window.

A/N: here is the first part. Review and you will see the second part. Muah- muah- oh, who am I kidding. I will probably update anyway. But it might make it easier to write (hint hint)

-ace


	2. Carrying On

A/N: Usually I don't write much for these, but this time it proves necessary. When I started this story 7 years ago, it was canon. HBP would not be released for another five months, and I honestly never thought she would kill Dumbledore, which is why he is still alive in the first chapter. I am not going to write the complete battle sequence, because it has given me 7 years worth of writers block. I know the aftermath of the battle clearly, but readers will not know the true toll until the end of the story. I will also fill in the intervening five years of between the end of OOTP and present day for the story as needed. Though now decidedly AU, I would like to see this story come to its proper end. The idea for it is something I have played with for a very long time. So, read on, and rest assured, I actually know where this is going, so it will not be seven years before you see another chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter related. I make no money from this story.

Chapter 2: Carrying On

"We were all changed while we were inside Voldemort's stronghold. None of us for the better, I'm afraid. The fortunate ones who survived were pushed to the very limit, and have a long road to recovery and peace of mind ahead. Some of us paid the ultimate price and will be forever missed. But never forgotten. Which is why we are here today. We, the victorious survivors, are here, in a place that had been taken from us when we were forced to hide, to celebrate the victorious dead. Never that they are dead. But that they will never be forgotten. This plaque, bearing the names of everyone who died in the last battle will hang forever in The Three Broomsticks as a sign of gratitude from Madam Rosmerta. We will make sure that this never happens again. Never again will we hide in fear, worried that every owl that finds us bears bad news. Never again will we look over our shoulders while going to get milk, afraid that these shadows will be the last thing we see. We have won. We are free. I would like to call for a toast," Hermione said, raising her glass. "To all of those who will never know this freedom they helped bring about. To family and friends lost. To safety. And most importantly, to love strong enough to triumph over evil. For all of those not with us tonight, cheers," Hermione finished, raising her butter beer to her lips.

Hermione pretended to drink around the lump forming in her throat while everyone before her echoed her toast. The battle was three weeks ago, and she was still the one giving the speeches, the one taking the interviews for The Daily Prophet, the one doing all of the coordinating at DA headquarters. And the one giving updates to family members. Trying to pick up the pieces. She never imagined having to do this alone. She always thought that if they won, Ron and Harry would be by her side. Harry would take his place as leader, Ron would be the comic relief, and she would be the one writing the speeches, and fussing over them. Make sure they got to the memorials on time, shook the right hands, apologized to the right parents of the right people for their loss. She was supposed to have her two best friends to support her through this. But she was always alone.

"How are you handling all of this?" Ginny asked from behind Hermione, startling her a bit.

"Oh, you know, it is getting easier every day to pretend it is getting easier, so it should actually get easier soon. How about you? I at least have the luxury of having to pretend that things are all ok, are you doing ok?" Hermione asked.

"Well, aside from constantly being asked how I am doing, I am managing. The worst part is all of the reporters, but they are leaving me alone for the most part, since I blew up on them at the ministry two weeks ago. The nights are hard without him, but I think it will get better soon. I can't give up hope yet, you know?" Ginny asked.

"I do. I wish they were leaving me alone. They keep asking me if I am ok, and honestly I don't know. I know if I think about it and actually try to figure out how I am, I will probably break, just crumble, and I can't break, because I am afraid that if I do, the pieces will never get back together in time for the next time I have to smile and give a speech about how everything is just fine. I would give so much to see either one of them smile again. To laugh the way we did at Hogwarts. The fact of the matter is that I was never prepared for this. I leaned on them so much during all of this. As long as they were right there, I never had to worry about how this was going to end. They were so confident it would be all of us in the end, that I never thought to prepare for another outcome. I think I thought that if we didn't all walk out of there fine, I would be the one lost. Never that I would be the one left unscathed. The spotlight is very lonely without them. I never prepared for this outcome. How did I never think about this?" Hermione wondered.

"None of us did. Do you want to head back home? I need to leave, and you can be the one who has to take me," Ginny offered.

"That sounds perfect, I should head back and check on everyone any way. Not that I don't trust Neville, but we all know that I am the better healer. Let me grab our jumpers, then we can go," Hermione replied.

She had just grabbed the sweaters and was heading back to where Ginny was, when she literally ran into Rita Skeeter.

"Hello, Hermione, dear girl, how are your charges healing in that safe house of yours?" Rita asked.

"Better than we could have hoped. Not everyone is perfect yet, but on the road to recovery, for sure. Now if you don't mind, one of my charges, as you call them, wants to head back, and I need to take her," Hermione answered, pushing past the nosy reporter.

"Ready, Gin?" Hermione asked.

"Of course, let's Apparate outside. Too crowded in here with the chair and all," Ginny said apologetically.

"Right, let's go then," Hermione agreed, pushing Ginny's wheelchair out the front door.

"Neville, how is everyone?" Hermione asked, walking into the part of DA headquarters that served as the hospital.

"Doing well, Hermione. Katie ate dinner all by herself, I think she can move back to her old room upstairs next week sometime, George spoke again, and Harry moved his fingers. Other than that the same. How was the ceremony?" Neville asked.

"Good, but the entire time I was wondering if we are going to have to add Harry's name to the plaque at some point. I am losing hope he is going to come out of his coma. It has been a very long time," she sighed.

"You can't lose hope, they are going to get better. Do you want me to check up on them, you are probably tired after tonight," Neville offered.

"No, it is ok, I want to check on them. Go to bed, I will be ok, I am actually a little wired from having to speak in front of a large crowd. I don't know how Harry did it, it's something I can't get used to. Goodnight, Neville," she said, walking into Harry's room.

She checked his vitals quickly, then moved to the next room. She paused in the doorway, unsure of what she would find on the other side. Every time she went in, he was different.

"Hello. Do I know you?" he asked from his bed.

"Yes, you do. We went to Hogwarts together. I am Hermione Granger. I am treating you for amnesia, Ron," she stated, just as she had every time she had entered his room since he came back from Voldemort's stronghold, every single time making her feel like he had stabbed her in the heart.

A/N: So there it is. Chapter 2. Leave me a review and I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can.


	3. Trying to Get It All Back

Disclaimer: I don't own it, never will. Just borrowing the characters for a little play time

Chapter 3: Trying to Get It All Back

"So, that was the Quidditch World Cup, summer before we went into fourth year. By mid-winter, you hated Viktor Krum fervently, but that is a different story, one that has nothing to do with Quidditch, which you probably won't believe until you get your memory back. I don't really understand it as it is, so my explanation would be lacking. What would you like to know next?" Hermione asked.

"Where are we?" Ron asked.

"This is the headquarters for a group started by you, me, and Harry in our fifth year at school at school, called Dumbledore's Army. It is a sister group to the Order of the Phoenix, which was started by Dumbledore before we were even born. At first it was just a way to pass our O.W.L.s, but once we all graduated, and Voldemort started to pick our friends off one by one, we realized that we needed somewhere safe that we could live and train and prepare for what was coming. The Order could not accommodate us at Grimmauld Place, so you actually came up with the idea one day of finding our own place. Somewhere we could make exactly what we needed it to be. We have dormitories, an apothecary, training rooms, a hospital, and not one, but two libraries," Hermione chuckled a little at the memory of how they wound up with two libraries.

"What is so funny?" Ron asked.

"The reason we have two libraries actually. That is a funny story. The entire time we were working on this dusty old building, trying to get it in good enough shape to live in, the three of us were staying in this tiny apartment nearby, and I kept complaining that every time I needed a book, I had to go all the way down the street to the main library here. I guess you got so fed up that you decided to make sure I never complained about having to go too far to get a book again. When we were deciding what rooms we were all going to live in you insisted you needed the two rooms next to mine, and I was all up in arms about this, but you had talked to Harry beforehand and he backed you and I actually didn't talk to either of you over this for a week, because I thought it was ridiculous, but you both insisted and I was out numbered, so I let you have two rooms.

"Anyway, a week later it is my birthday, and I am mad at you two again because you haven't acknowledged it, and you come up behind me in my room while I am moving my stuff in and say 'I know you are not talking to me yet, but I have a surprise for you. Do you trust me?' and hold up a blindfold.

"'Do I have a choice?' I ask.

"'You say that like I could do anything to hurt you,' you replied.

"'Fine, but if you throw me down the stairs I will hex you into next week,' I promised.

"'I believe that, which is why I will carry you down the stairs,' you replied, putting the blindfold on.

"And then you proceeded to lead me up and down, every which way into every corner of the building, you even took me outside a couple of times. I was getting so annoyed because I honestly had no idea where you were taking me, we could have been halfway to France, for all I knew. Just when I am about to say something you stop me and say, 'Before I let you take off this blindfold, I want you to take a deep breath.'

"I am about to let you have it, just scream at you for leading me god knows where and then telling me to breathe. So, I take in a huge lungful of air to start yelling, and I smell it. The first smell that ever felt like home to me. I smelled the books, took off the blindfold, and I was speechless. All I could do was stand there and just stare at the books.

"I forgot you were there at all until you said 'Happy Birthday, Mione. Now you will never have to walk too far to get a book ever again.' It is the best birthday present I have ever gotten," Hermione confessed.

"Good to know I am not always a prat," Ron commented.

"You do have your moments," Hermione agreed.

She was about to ask him what story he wanted to hear next, when Ginny came into the room and said, "Hermione, we need you in the main room, a reporter from The Prophet is flooing in, asking to speak to you about the ceremony tomorrow and the possibility of an exclusive tour of the headquarters in the future? I told him that was not going to happen, but he, in the most condescending way possible, implied that I am a child and therefore not worthy of his time. Believe me when I say if it were possible to get away with hexing him via floo, he would be covered in painful, oozing boils. Please get rid of him so I can re-cast the spell to block unwanted floos," Ginny pleaded.

"Ok, I'll be right there," Hermione promised.

"A reporter?" Ron asked.

"Yes, unfortunately, we are still all anyone can talk about. I will be right back," she said, getting up to follow Ginny.

"Hermione?" Ron called as she was leaving the room.

"Yes, Ron?" Hermione asked from the door.

"How did we meet? Is it a good story?" Ron questioned.

"On the train to Hogwarts, first year. It is a good story. I will tell you in a minute. Don't go anywhere, Ron. Healer's orders," Hermione joked, slipping from the room.

"Any luck getting my thick headed brother to remember anything?" Ginny asked as soon as they were out of ear shot.

"Not yet. But I will succeed, even if it takes me the rest of our lives, even if I have to tell him every story we share," Hermione said.

"What story were you just telling? The one where he wasn't a prat? There can't be many of those," Ginny asked.

"The one where he built me a library," Hermione responded.

"He is right he is not a prat in that one," Ginny noted.

"I know. He might be thicker than the wall of a bank vault but he has to remember something eventually. Until then, I will keep trying. How about Harry? Any change since I was in there a couple of hours ago?" Hermione asked as they walked.

"No, he is the same. What is on the slate tomorrow? This ceremony anything important?" Ginny questioned.

"We have the big one tomorrow. In Godric's Hollow they are updating the memorial at the Potter house to include a wall with the names of the victims of Voldemort's return. There will be a candle ceremony. The bright side is that McGonagall has promised to make the speech, because she was the one who originally dedicated it. I might get away with just sitting there and smiling for pictures," Hermione said.

"That will be nice for a change," Ginny commented.

"You have any second thoughts about you r stance on events? You don't want to know any sooner than the night before about them?" Hermione asked.

"Nope, I am fine in the dark. Now, can you get this bloke out of here, so we can get a full night's sleep before we have to put on the brave face?" Ginny questioned.

"Right. Do you want me to throw in how you are my right hand and if he questions your authority again he will not only never set foot in here, he will never get an interview again?" Hermione asked, pausing at the door.

"That would be brilliant," Ginny replied.

"Ok, let's do this," Hermione said, pushing the door open and walking to the fire.

"Fantastic, I thought that girl had lied about going to get you. Hermione, I have some questions for you. I am doing a piece on your little group, the group that defeated the He Who Must Not Be Named, and I was hoping to get an interview and a tour from the de-facto leader, now that Harry and Ron are out of commission. What do you say?" he asked.

"Well, for starters, you haven't even introduced yourself properly, so that is strike one. Then there is the fact that you have somehow wormed your way into a very secure floo, effectively rendering the securities we have spent years putting in place and maintaining useless, so that is strike two. And your third strike is that not only did you barge your way into our house unannounced, you have insulted the only person in the world who is closer to me than anyone other than Harry and Ron. The person who has been my rock and kept me sane through all of this. Since you didn't already know, this is Ginny Weasley. Rest assured that if she says something it goes here. Her word is as good as mine. And even if I had wanted to give any of the fifty three separate people who have asked me for a tour since we defeated Lord Voldemort, our secret-keeper is in a coma, and the only thing his right hand can remember is that he is a prat. So it is a no. Now get out of my fire before I have to hex you out," Hermione said.

"Right, well if you change your mind," the reporter said, and the fire returned to normal.

"He remembers that he is a prat," Hermione said under her breath, not even willing to let herself hope it.

"Did you see his face? And the way he flinched when you said Lord Voldemort? It was priceless. Did you say something, Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"He remembers he is a prat," she said louder.

"Who, Ron? That is not a secret. He has always been a prat and a git sometimes too," Ginny noted.

"But not in the story I told him. He remembered it on his own. Ginny, he had a memory," Hermione replied, and then she turned and ran back to the hospital wing.

"Ron, you remembered-" Hermione started and then trailed off when she saw his face.

"Hello. What did I remember? Do I know you?" Ron asked.

"No, you don't know me. I'm sorry, Ron," Hermione said, walking in a daze back to the main room.

"Hermione, what is it?" Neville asked.

"He had a memory, and I missed it," Hermione replied and burst into tears.

A/N: That was chapter 3. Let me know what you think.


End file.
